A GIRL Guide leader originally from Purton who started her 60-year long association with the youth movement in Sharpness is one of many honoured in the area for their efforts in the New Year’s Honours List.

Pam Cottle, 82, was given the award for services to children and young people in the New Year’s honours List for 2014.

The president of the Girlguiding UK’s Gloucestershire West Division said she was humbled to be given the award for something she has always enjoyed doing.

“I initially thought I didn’t deserve it but then I thought it would be a slap in the face to the person who nominated me.”

The former head teacher of Paternoster School in Cirencester for disabled children would arrange visits of the guides to the school, who would also take the children on day trips.

She became a leader of the Sharpness Guides in 1951 at the age of 19 after starting in the group when she was 15-years-old.

“It’s lovely when former guides ring me up or pop in to see me or when they recognise me in the street. One rang me from Florida yesterday,” she said.

“It makes it all worth while.”

Thornbury resident and former site inspector for Oldbury Nuclear Power Station Dr Joseph McHugh has also been honoured with an OBE for services to radioactive substances regulation and voluntary services to the community.

Dr McHugh works in the Radioactive Substances Regulation department at the Environment Agency’s headquarters in Bristol and works to ensure radioactive material is used and disposed of properly throughout England.

The 59-year-old married father-of-two was also recognised for his community work with Christ the King Church on Castle Street in Thornbury, including helping organise Thornbury Beer Festival.

He is also a leading member of the area’s branch of the Apostleship of the Sea, a Christian group which cares for seafarers visiting British shores, in this case those coming into Sharpness Docks.

Dr McHugh said he was flabbergasted when he heard the news he was receiving the honour.

“I am very honoured to get the award,” he said.

“I didn’t think I really deserved it, I think I have a very good team at the agency. I can think of a lot of people who could deserve the award rather than me. My family were very pleased for me.”

Avon and Somerset Police Chief Inspector Steve Kendall, who was originally posted in the South Gloucestershire policing district when he joined the police, has been awarded an MBE for helping to develop policing and law and order in the newly-created Republic of Kosovo.

Mr Kendall, 45, from Portishead, undertook an eighteen-month secondment with the Foreign Office to the region as the Regional Chief Advisor to the Kosovo Police in the north of the country between October 2011 and April 2013.

His role was to mentor and develop the Kosovo Police, to work with international agencies and NATO peacekeeping forces, to help create and build stability in the region.

Mr Kendall said he was humbled by the award, given in recognition of services to the development of policing and the rule of law in Kosovo".

"Kosovo and its people have been through difficult times. It was an honour and a privilege to help develop a new county's police force,” he said.

"Working and living in a post-conflict zone was quite a culture shock and a personal and professional challenge. There was tremendous satisfaction in helping a country to develop its police service and it really brought home to me how essential effective policing is for the basic functioning of society.”

The leader of the Gloucestershire County Council, Cllr Mark Hawthorne, was awarded the MBE for services to local government.

Cllr Hawthorne is one of the youngest council leaders in the country and was GCC’s youngest ever leader when he took over in 2010, at the age of 35.

He was elected to represent the Moreland ward in 2009, becoming council leader a year later.

Since taking over as leader, Mark has been the driving force behind the council’s Meeting the Challenge project to help the council find savings of £114 million over four years.

He made many changes during his time as city council leader, including orchestrating the long-awaited King’s Square improvements, investing heavily in street cleaning and setting up the Gloucester Heritage Urban Regeneration Company, attracting £200 million of investment into the city.

He was elected as a member for Quedgeley and re-elected as leader earlier this year.

Peter Bungard, chief executive of GCC, said: “I am so delighted that Mark’s contribution to local government has been recognised in the New Year Honours List.

“He is one of the most capable politicians in the entire local government sector, and has made a massive personal contribution for well over a decade, leading both Gloucester City Council and the county council during this time.”

  • For a full round up and pictures of local people given awards in the New Year's Honour’s List, see next week’s Gazette.